This book tells the story of a boy from a Sherpa family. The boy is deaf and uses his heightened observation skills to locate the families yaks during a storm.

Kami and the Yaks written by Andrea Stenn Stryer and illustrated by Bert Dodson tells the story of a boy, Kami, who tries to help his family by setting out on a journey to retrieve their missing yaks. Along the way, Kami faces many struggles, but his determination and will keep him pushing forward to save his family’s livelihood.

According to Children’s Literature, Briefly, a quality text is when the author uses varied language and well-constructed literary elements to fully encompass the reader in the world of the story. Andrea Stenn Stryer uses varied language which consists of sensory details that make the audience feel as if they were on the journey with Kami. For example, during the night where there is a thunderstorm, Stryer describes not only Kami seeing the light from a lightning bolt, but also the smell that came from it as well. This is just one of many examples of the author using descriptive language and sensory details to fully submerge her audience in this story.

For teacher interested in using this well-written book in their classroom, here is a link for a read-aloud which can be projected on your Smart Board. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxQqb...

Wonderful illustrations that show the beautiful country of Nepal and it's people. I really liked this story of bravery and rescue. It also showed how able someone with a disability can be.

This book looks at Kami, a young book who wanted to help out his family find their yaks. Kami is deaf and shows the length to which he was willing to go to bring the yaks home! This story is unbelievable and heart warming of how Kami persevered and did what he set out to do, a good example for young children.

Are you scared of storms? “Kami and the Yaks” is about a deaf boy named Kami who wants to help his family. The setting of the book is the Himalayan Mountains. The conflict is that during a storm, the family's yaks go missing. The illustrations on pages 7-8 show the moment that Kai realized the yaks were gone and without hesitation went to search for them. The young boy set off in the middle of a storm despite being afraid. Then on pages 13-14, the spread shows Kami finding the yaks after searching through the storm. The theme of this book is that disabilities do not make someone incapable of achieving something or being successful. This realistic fiction book won the Schneider Family Book Award. This is a great motivational read, don’t miss out.

I like that kami saved the day and amazed his family. A distinct story and great message.

Meet Kami, a child who is deaf, but anxious to help his brother and father maintain their livelihood. Do you think Kami ends up saving the day? Follow along and see just what Kami can do. Kami is a great example of a multidimensional character. A multidimensional character is a strong literacy character that is complex and varied in presentation (Kleepcamp, Disability in Children’s Picturebooks). What this means is that a humanizing text will include a character with a disability. Kami is an intelligent working boy, even though he can’t speak, he is more than aware of his surroundings. For example, on page 19 we see Kami using gestures and his body language to communicate to his father and brother. This shows how Kami fits the category of being a multidimensional character because his disability does not stop him from being the intelligent person he is. This book also does not victimize Kami, Kami is shown for who he really is and not just his disability. If you like this book, I suggest this book for fourth grade.

This is a beautiful children's book about a young boy named Kami who lives with his family in Nepal. His father and older brother are sherpas but, being deaf, Kami is seen more as a hindrance than a help. When the families yaks going missing right in the middle of a terrible storm only Kami, who knows the animals best, is able to find them but how can he convince his father and brother?

This is gorgeous to look at, a wonderful story, and a fascinating window into a part of the world no one in my family really knew anything about. There's also a really interesting afterword that goes into the lives of sherpas and elaborates beautifully on the level of intelligence and dedication it takes to lives in this part of the world.

I love that Stryer is able to convey so much with such a simple story. Kami's journey will be familiar to many children despite the somewhat unusual location. We are all looking for respect and acceptance from those we love and we all struggle in different ways. Its incredibly powerful to see Kami's father realize how valuable Kami is to the family, that he is more than just a disabled child who needs to be watched over.

Bert Dodson's watercolors are just plain beautiful. They're perfectly suited to a story set atop high, cloudy mountains and stormy skies. I'm always impressed when a water color artist is able to attain such a high level of detail as Dodson does, especially in Kami and his families facial expressions. There's a wonderful image of Kami's father hugging him that conveys a really profound level of joy, love and fierce pride. There's a sense of timelessness to Dodson's work, I kept thinking of the ancient Chinese scroll paintings I've seen in museums. Obviously this is very fitting given how long Kami's people have lived and worked in the mountains.

This is very much worth reading and sharing with your own little (and not so little) ones.

A book based on a true story about Sherpas from the Himalayas. He is deaf, and the book show how he overcomes his disability in the harsh winters there. The book is different and really should be read to a more mature elementary audience. You could use this book for math because of the number of yaks. It could also be good in an ESOL classroom because we could use it for a lesson on other cultures. Students could talk about life in their home country.

Winner of the 2008 Schneider Family Book Award for best picture book depicting a disability. Kami lives in the Himalayas and is deaf. What surprised me in this book is that he uses no formal sign language, such as ASL, to communicate. I guess I just assumed that sign language was everywhere. He does manage to communicate, but using his own made-up signs.

I enjoyed this story about how he proved to his father and brother that he could be useful and resourceful, even though he is deaf. I hope someone invents a formal sign language for the deaf people of the Himalayas, so that they can fully participate in their culture and won't be looked upon as useless and unintelligent.

I also liked the way the author so vividly depicted the harsh environment of the Himalayas. The author's note about the Sherpa culture at the end of the book was appreciated.
Recommended for a peek into what it's like to be deaf in another culture!

"Kami and the Yaks" is a wonderful picture book! The story focuses on a young boy, Kami, searching for the yaks that roam the mountains, but on this particular day, he discovers that one of them is stuck. He rushed back home to get help from his father and brother to explain the problem, but he struggled to communicate because he is deaf. After many attempts, his family finally understands and rescues the yak. "Kami and the Yaks" won the Schneider Family Book award with its story of Kami's experience with deafness and the theme of perseverance. The detailed illustrations capture the setting of the story, the Himalayan mountains in Nepal nearly 500 years ago. Under the genre of fiction, this story is a must-have for any classroom! Students can read an entertaining story, yet learn from it. Overall, the story was engaging and a fantastic read!

Kami is a deaf boy who goes looking for his father's missing yaks. A happy ending!